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Managing Absenteeism in Your Workplace

Employers face challenges in managing people especially those they have employed to undertake tasks on their behalf in exchange for monetary compensation. Despite the fact that the employees are obligated to appear at work and produce for the period they have been contracted, they sometimes fail to appear at all. It should be noted that absenteeism can be voluntary or unavoidable. Most importantly, the more times employees stay away from work, the lesser the productivity is achieved.

Culpable Absenteeism

Culpable or blameworthy absenteeism occurs when an employee fails to appear at work, but does not have a substantial explanation. It is like failing to wake up early or taking a sick day when one is not ill. It is a negligent type that makes people

Non-culpable Absenteeism

It is the opposite of the other and illustrates an instance when employees fail to appear at work for reasons beyond their control. It is an unforeseen circumstance that occurs, and the employee has to keep out of work. Issues like sickness or an injury can innocently keep an employee that wanted to work out of the office. The way the employer chooses to deal with the two types of absenteeism cases should be different since one can be termed intention while the other is innocent. For culpable absenteeism, the employee should be dealt with according to his terms of employment and the way past cases on the same issue have been handled. The length of service and the severity of the incident should play a role in determining how the particular instance should be dealt with so that it gives a fair treatment in the eyes of all the parties. However, the objective should be geared at a treatment that will overall impact the organization positively, and help in moving towards the organizational goals.

Innocent or non-culpable absenteeism should be handled fairly in the sense that such an individual should not find herself under suspension for missing to appear at work. On the same note, if the case was compelled with a disability, the employer has an obligation under the legal employment laws not to discriminate against people with disability.

Managing Innocent Absenteeism

To move towards managing the innocent absenteeism challenge, employers should have a written management attendance policy, which is a standard document to all the employees. The attendance management plan should be accompanied by the following steps as a measure of curbing the unfortunate occurrence.

Positively embrace the problem

Instead of letting the problem slide away in a busy office environment, the employer should ask for absentee information, so that it can be used for proper planning. The information request from employees conveys the message that full attendance is required. Also, it gives the employer an idea of the course of action to take to see full compliance.

Accommodate Disability

Under the human rights laws, the employers are asked to embrace and help those with disability in society achieve their goals. To achieve maximum benefit from such an employee, the employer could schedule a working timetable or part-time duty for the particular employee.

Meet the Employee

Where an employee is a chronic absentee, the HR department in the organization should meet up with the employee and issue a staunch warning, which should come with possible consequences if not adhered to, appropriately. The employee should understand that failure to correct the behavior could lead to termination.

Communicate Attendance Expectation to the Employee

Sometimes, before taking action, it is important to understand the cause of the problem. In this case, communicate the expected attendance to the employee and make them understand the potential consequences if the code of operation is not followed. It should not be assumed that all the staff know, and it may go a long way to prevent conflict between employee and employer.

Examine with the Right Questions

In the case where an employee has become a perennial absentee, the HR should ask the right questions in an attempt to understand the cause of the occurrences. If an employee is unable to work on the medical ground, provide him with a date with which she will be expected back on duty. Give time for one to sort the problems she faces before embarking on work with the right state of mind.

Consider Termination

Terminating an employee is an option where the rate of absenteeism is shocking. However, this should be analyzed carefully to determine the cause and the future of the case. If it is a small problem that can be fixed in a short period, time can be given to allow the employee move out of the situation. However, cases that are chronic, but have no substantial explanation, should be considered for termination.

To effectively manage the absenteeism work challenge, it calls for understanding and patience. It is because cases of people being terminated for a reason that could be fixed should be avoided. On the same note, it is human to help one come out of the short-term challenges they face.

Before you get to the stage of termination, here’s a question for you.

How would you handle any issues like this in your office? Would you use time and attendance software? Would you go looking for paper forms like an employee time sheet to track chronic absences? Do you have peers that could recommend a quality employee scheduling software solution THEY have had success with? Insert a comment below this article and let us know your ideas for a solution, and we’ll share it on our next small business blog post.

Article provided by NECHES FCU, an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
Neches FCU is a texas credit union and has a courteous and attentive team of professionals ready to provide services to our members. When its doors open at any of the several service outlets, the core aim of “Ultimate Member Satisfaction” becomes the sole focus for every staff member. They are well-known for a personal, dynamic and enthusiastic work atmosphere, delivering a memorable service experience, and where clients are known by name.

Change for California’s Families and Businesses – CRFA

Known by the acronym CRFA, the California Family Rights Act grants employees 12 workweeks of family or personal leave within a 12 month period for conditions that qualify. Employers affected are those with a minimum of 50 employees within a 75-mile radius. Employees qualify after a minimum of 12 months of employment and with a minimum threshold of 1250 work hours during a qualifying 12 month span. The rights commenced on July 1, 2015 and are being made congruent with the recent federally initiated Family and Medical Leave Act also known as the FMLA. The two laws vary widely in some important areas.

New Definitions

The CRFA expands the definition of covered employers to include joint employers and successors-in interest. It also defines the qualifying factors that would cause a work relationship to rise to the level of a joint employment or successors-in-interest role.

The work-site definition is also expanded to include any primary, fixed work-sites or a series of related work-sites. In the absence of a fixed work-site, the work-site that an employee reports to, receives assignments from or shows up to is deemed a qualifying work-site.

Because the law allows all types of leave that is available to new employees to qualify as work hours, employees that would not normally qualify due to inadequate lengths of employment can be covered if the additional time equals the qualifying amount of work time. When the employees become qualified, the employer can consider it as CFRA leave. In addition, the definition of spouse has been updated to include domestic and same-sex partners that are legally bound by marriage.

Employer Restrictions, Definitions and Responsibilities

The new statute further restricts employer’s ability to terminate a key employee. Key employees are defined a salaried employees who are compensated in the top 10 percentile of salaries in the company. These employees can only be terminated if their absences would cause significant financial injury to the company.

Although it is incumbent upon the company to prove the assertion, employees that receive leave fraudulently will not be protected by the job restoration statutes. They will also not be privy to any further benefits.

Qualifying 12-month periods include any calendar year, the 12-month period starting from the date of leave going backwards or the 12-month period preceding the initiation of the leave period. The employer can make a designation, if they do not, the option that is most beneficial to the employee will be automatically utilized. Any employer changes in designation must be made known to the employee 60 days prior to initiation.

Employees that have varying weekly work schedules will have 12 months of hours averaged to determine if an employee qualifies for the 12 week entitlement. This 12-month period is the 12 months immediately prior to initiating the CRFA. Additionally, the hours that an employee would normally work in overtime can be deducted from the employee’s CRFA leave if that employee cannot satisfy that normal overtime load because of a qualifying condition.

Compliance

Intermittent leave must be used to shorten the designated CRFA time unless the employee is unable to perform their duties with a reduced schedule, shift or with intermittent leave. The total CRFA leave must be considered CRFA leave time if this is the case. However, this time will count against the entitlement.

Employers must now respond to leave requests within 5 days of their receipt, and they must also determine which leave requests qualify as CRFA requests. The employers must also have a valid reason for doubting a medical certification. When this is satisfied, then the employer can seek the opinion of an additional healthcare provider. Additionally, employers can only contact healthcare providers to verify the certification, they cannot require a fitness exam as a condition for return, and any other testing must be job related. Employers can require a medical work release with the exception of multiple intermittent leave absences.

This employment law article was provided to inform and protect businesses like yours from compliance problems. When you’ve got employees, you must have quality labor law protection. If you’re operating from Altamonte Springs, use one of these labor posters for complete compliance protection. Their in-house legal staff works tirelessly to keep their employment posters updated for their clients security and peace of mind.

Any vacation or off time that the employee has can be used as a portion of the CRFA leave, and group health coverage is continued along with regulations determining paid or unpaid leave. Additionally, CRFA leaves are not considered seniority disqualifying breaks in service. It is the employer, employee and the Fair Employment and Housing Act’s responsibility to determine if reasonable accommodation is possible. Additionally, the law mandates that employees are unable to waive their rights, and any employer retaliation or intimidation is heavily prohibited.

The new CRFA provisions must be publicly posted by qualifying employers as are directions for official employee complaints pertaining to filing. All information must be translated into any language that is spoken by at least 10 percent of the workforce, and it is also incumbent upon the employer to update all of their pertinent publications to reflect the new policies.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Tax Time?

Whether you’re a do-it-yourself at home taxpayer, or you’re a let the accountant handle it taxpayer, one constant remains, and that constant is that tax season is aggravating. This year tax season is even more aggravating than in recent years. Here are four reasons why.

Paying the Price for Your Obamacare

If you were among the seven million Americans who took advantage of the health insurance marketplace in 2014, you might owe on your taxes. H&R Block is estimating that many of the Americans who utilized the insurance marketplace owe on their taxes. This is due to underestimating income while receiving a health insurance subsidy. H&R Block stated the average decrease in tax refunds over last year is seventeen percent.

If you decided to ignore the Obamacare mandate, and you do not qualify for a hardship exemption, you might not owe on your taxes per say, but you could face a monetary penalty. The average penalty for going without insurance in 2014 is $172.00. Although true numbers are difficult to come by, estimates put uninsured Americans around eleven percent for 2014.

Fraud: Injury to the Victims and the Collateral Damage of Increased Processing Times

Tax fraud comes in many forms, and this year is no exception. An alarming number of states indicated that taxpayer fraud is rampant this year. Apparently, criminals are using at home tax preparation software to impersonate tax payers and file fake returns. TurboTax appears to be the software of choice for tax fraudsters. This doesn’t exclusively impact the unfortunate taxpayers who are victims of fraud, but it also impacts taxpayers who use TurboTax in general. For instance, Minnesota put a temporary halt on any tax returns generated via TurboTax.

Additionally, the pervasive fraud caused many states to slow down their refunds and scrutinize incoming tax returns. That means you will be waiting longer for your tax refund. For example, Ohio advised that even with e-file it’s taking the state nearly a month to issue a refund. Contrast this with the three or four days it took Ohio to issue a refund on e-filed taxes last year.

Even the IRS is Hurting around Tax Time

If you tried to reach an actual living breathing human being representing the IRS last year it’s very likely you were unsuccessful. Last year a tax advisory group estimated that one in three calls to the IRS went unanswered. This year won’t be any better, and in fact it’s likely that dealing with the IRS will be more difficult this year.

The IRS budget decreased seventeen percent from since 2010 due to adjustments for inflation and other budgetary constraints. I addition to that, the IRS is working with less staff than in recent years. That means less people are attempting to resolve the one-hundred million phone calls, ten million mailed inquiries, and the one-hundred-sixty returns that they received to date.

Don’t Wait. Capitulate, and File Your Taxes

The IRS stated that they received 335,000 fewer returns this year than at the same time last year. That means that people are waiting to file. This means that when they decide to file they will be scrambling to get everything that is needed. More than that, it means that the IRS will be processing a flood of returns at the same time. That will likely translate into more delays for taxpayers waiting on tax refunds.

In addition to getting stressed and waiting longer for your refund, waiting to file has some other downsides. For one, the closer the tax deadline the more tax filing costs. It’s usually the trend that accountants and other tax services increase fees nearer the tax deadline.

Waiting too long also echoes back to other points raised above. The fraudsters who are taking advantage of people are preying on the procrastinators. In other words, the quicker you file the less likely you are to be a victim of identity theft and having your tax refund fraudulently filed.

With everything going on this tax year it’s best to give in. You should file as early as possible. You might not get your refund any faster, but you have to file anyhow, and you will help to avoid the other stress factors associated with this tax year. With some luck, this article got you thinking about how to advise clients properly and build their trust. They will be the best source of referral business for you, and you need to protect them from going to other tax preparers who may promise them a “better deal”.

Also, if you’re not doing electronic tax filing on their behalf, you should. If you efile 1099 and other tax forms for them, your customers should receive their refunds much faster. I would also suggest that you follow my lead if you’re still mailing tax forms. I use eFile4Biz.com to file 1099 online. The time saved allows me to focus on clients. This service also “talks” with the major software brands, including printing and delivering tax forms for me. Their short video below explains it all.